ORLANDO, Fla. – Jury selection is over in the murder trial of the 18-year-old man accused of shooting into a crowd during Halloween celebrations in downtown Orlando in 2024.
Jaylen Edgar, 17 at the time of his arrest, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder.
Tyrek Hill, 25, and Timothy Schmidt, Jr., 19, died in the shooting.
Edgar wrote a letter to Judge Keith Carsten last month, asking the judge to consider his state of mind at the time of the shooting. He said he took full responsibility for the shooting, but he claimed that he was “suffering from extreme mental or emotional disturbance” at the time.
Junior Barrett, Edgar’s defense attorney, signaled earlier this week that his client is still exploring the possibility of an insanity defense.
On the third day of jury selection Wednesday, Barrett and assistant state prosecutor Frank George each took time meticulously questioning prospective jurors about anything from their ability to remain fair and impartial on a jury to whether they own guns at home.
Opening statements are slated to get underway on Thursday morning at 9 a.m.